By Karen Haave
Friends of Peotone’s popular Barclay family are joining forces to help them through an unimaginably painful time. A fundraiser to benefit the family has been set for Sunday, August 11, from 1 to 6 p.m., at the Peotone American Legion Hall, 190 W. North Street.
Peotone residents Leslie Joslin, and her husband, Jason, are organizers of the event, and hope it will raise enough money to offset mounting medical expenses the Barclays are struggling with. 
According to a fundraiser flyer, they already had all they could handle, with four-year-old daughter, Dixie, suffering from a rare congenital condition, and her father, Anthony, recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer. 
Dixie lives with myelomeningocele spina bifida, the most severe form of a rare congenital condition that affects the spinal cord. She currently is using a wheelchair as she is unable to walk or stand without assistance. Despite her condition, Dixie is a happy child with a big personality, who loves all things “girly.”
In December Dixie’s father was diagnosed with the cancer, an incurable, terminal bone marrow cancer for which he currently is undergoing treatment. Event organizers noted that Tony’s job as a carpenter is secure through FMLA, but he doesn’t get paid when he has to take time off for doctors’ visits or when he is undergoing chemo.
The father of three was scheduled to undergo three weeks for a stem cell transplant, with the hope of regrowing his bone marrow without the cancer cells. 
His wife, Jess, explained that, like most insurance policies, their insurance will pay a portion of the treatments for Dixie and Tony, but only after they hit their “out-of-pocket max.” Dixie has already reached that point, and Tony is sure to follow. 
“We’re trying to plan ahead,” Jess Barclay said. 
But it was clear that planning ahead would be difficult as the medical bills from Dixie’s care are significant on their own. 
“We already have a ton of outstanding medical debt. It’s just more at this point.” 
The Joslins, who are Peotone residents, recently became Facebook buddies with Tony Barclay and wanted to help.
Leslie said the event is in the planning stages, but it will include a classic rock band, the “Jaywalkers Jam Band,” food, raffle prizes, and silent auction baskets. 
More details will be circulating in brochures and flyers in town, with information about becoming a sponsor, donating items for the raffles, and the silent auction baskets. 
For more information on how to donate to the cause or to volunteer with the fundraiser, call Leslie Joslin at 331-801-0123. 
Tony’s sister has also launched a GoFundMe to help offset the medical costs for the Barclays. To donate, go to GoFundMe and click on Tony’s Fight Against Multiple Myleoma Cancer.